MY GREAT UNCLE, RICHARD BYERS, WHO FOUGHT IN WORLD WAR ONE

My grandpa's older brother, Richard BYERS was born on 14th September 1896 on Rowanburnfoot Farm, near Canonbie, Dumfriesshire. One of 12 children born to James BYERS and Mary Jane THOMSON.

I am unsure when he enlisted to fight in the First World War, but Richard was in the King's Own Scottish Borderers (6th Battalion) and latterly was Lance Corporal.

L/Cpl Richard Byers

I did however contact the KOSB Regimental Museum in Berwick-On-Tweed and was advised of the following - 

"No service or pension records for your great uncle have survived. His Medal records show that he initially served in the 1st Battalion, but as he did not qualify for the 1915 Star, he would not have served overseas before the end of 1915. His regimental number (23835) would indicate that he enlisted in early 1916 and would very likely have seen action on the Somme (the 1st Battalion was engaged on the first day, 1st July 1916 and subsequently). Possibly he was wounded there, which might explain his transfer to 6th Battalion, KOSB. It was not always possible to return a man who had been wounded and hospitalised to his original unit. He was killed in action on 6th June 1917 near Fampoux".

This latter information contradicts the detail I had previously researched. From the Imperial War Graves documentation and other documents relating to his death, Richard was killed on 8th June 1917 - and I had previously thought this happened at the Battle of Messines, in West Flanders, Belgium. However, I can find no mention of the KOSB being present at The Battle of Messines, nor any fighting near Fampoux in June 1917. So that's a bit of a mystery really. 

The only clear fact is that Richard was killed in action on 8th June 1917, aged only 20. He is buried at Brown's Copse Cemetery, Roeux.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Certificate

First World War Memorial Plaque

This Memorial Plaque was issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British and Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war.

The plaques were made of bronze, and hence popularly known as the "Dead Man’s Penny", because of the similarity in appearance to the somewhat smaller penny coin. 1,355,000 plaques were issued, which used a total of 450 tonnes of bronze, and continued to be issued into the 1930's to commemorate people who died as a consequence of the war.